Opening morning found my good friend Jon and I waiting on light and a gobble . I performed my somewhat scary ''OWLING'' with my natural tools and recieved nothing for my efforts . Waited several minutes and started up some roost pitting ,,,,again , nothing . We slowly moved on toward the back of the property and paused on a slight rise to pitt again . This time we were answered by a gobbler that souded mature , but we were unsure . A hen also was clucking a little near the gobbler . Soon I cranked it up a mite and was getting quite a bit of chatter from the roosted birds . We moved into a set up nearby and started the foray . Shortly a bird that sounded hennish started yakkin' from behind a nearby point . Then a bird came around the point , but it looked huge for a hen , yet the poor light wouldn't allow for proper identification . either way , the bird was silent ant was headed toward the first birds we heard , which were by this time on the ground . I continued to call to the first birds and we went at it for some time . Then I did that little hen call of 4-5 fast soft yelps , facing the birds , then turned away from them and let out 3 jake yelps . They never made another sound . I continued to call , hen style , but they wanted no more of it . Then we heard a faint gobble from the back ridge . I told Jon it sounded like it was just over the top . We cut ground a bit and I called . It responded , though it didn't cut my call . It sounded like a mature bird , at some distance but soon we could tell it was a jake ,,,,,,and comin'. We stood at the junction of two man nmade trails . Jon moved toward the birds a short distance and sat down by a tree. I moved back a little and stood by three cedars that grew tight together, by the main trail . The bird gobbled about every five minutes so I didn't push the issue with too much calling . He was still making progress our way , but seemed more in line to pass uphill and out of sight for Jon . Then I could hear footsteps off in the brushy cedar thicket . Out he stepped into the trails edge and stretched his neck . I just stood still leaning against the cedars. He remained motionless for a couple minutes and his companion stepped out and did the same . They scanned the trail for about 30 seconds and simultaneously stepped forward ...one step ,,,,two steps . I began moving the double up to my shoulder . Not in super slow motion , but not in the speed one would attempt to shoulder a shotgun on , say , a flushing grouse . Just fluid like and steady . The jakebirds simply stood dumbfounded admiring the two black holes in the end of the moving tree branch. I lowered my cheek into the comb , put the bead just below his head and squeezed . I saw his head being driven hard straight away ,,,and then he crumpled into a heap.. Jon got to his feet and joined me . We recounted the events of the hunt and moved up to the now floppin' jake . I stooped to see under the cedars and could see the other jake trotting up the hill. We stood talking in low tones and the jake began calling in earnest . Jon sat down and I began calling and walking away . Jake came maybe halfway back , judging by the sound , but never showed himself . Then a rare thing happened . A hen began gobbling right near the jake . She would go uphill leaving him there to yelp and whine by himself . Then she would come back down . Twice she did this before he finally gave up on his old companion , and departed or simply went silent .

The first day of season ,,,and the first turkey I have killed since spring of 2011. It felt good . Both the running of the calls and the shot.

I went home to dress the bird and later Jon came by with the boat and we went crappie fishin' for the remainder of the day . Took home 20 fish ,,,,,probably caught 40 or more .

Congrats on a great hunt Mark . If you find yourself in a situation like that again, with two birds or hunters, and you shoot one and the other runs off. Lay into the fighting purrs, that other bird will stop to look back, or spin around and come running back faster than he left. If the first bird is flopping around and you hit a fighting purr call while he's flopping around, most times the other bird comes back quick. It works great for two hunters. I've called birds in that I never knew were there after I've shot one, just by running a fighting purr as that bird lay flopping.